I am having one of those Sunday afternoons with too much time on my hands which has got me thinking about the scouts and moving tents around the camp site at the start and end of camp. The thought of some kind of trolley comes to mind. Well after looking around the net and then onto ebay to see what was available, the idea of using old golf trolleys - they are cheap (couple on ebay at 99p each) and good on and off a path and easily moved by everyone. OK they will need to be adapted to carry an Icelandic or other heavy camp gear thinking sack trolley styling and once on site can be used to help with carrying water jerry cans. They fold down normally quite small so this will need to be incorporated in the modifications for when not in use.

What I want to know has anyone done anything like this before and can give me some pointers or tell me this is a waste of time

Mallah

12-06-2011, 04:46 PM

Would think golf trolleys would not be strong enough for the tents etc, especially over rough ground. What you, and all of us, really need is something like the old Scout Trek Cart which were as you might expect designed for such use. Should be easy to make if only you can find big enough wheels.

aldamaster

12-06-2011, 05:23 PM

Yes, but the size and weight of a trek cart mean you almsot have to take a trailer just to carry it in!!

ASL-Alan

12-06-2011, 05:33 PM

the carts are perfect but size is the prob hence why thinking something more portable, golf trolleys seem to be used for canoes boats why not an icelandic for 99p and some scrap wood I'm gona give it a go if it breaks oh well if not whoopie lol

but if someone has already tried it and found it did or didn't work then ill save my pennies

Howslo

12-06-2011, 10:51 PM

TBH, unless the tent and flysheet are kept together in the same bag, one leader or probably two Scouts ought to be able to carry a patrol tent, I would have thought?

The only tent we have issues with is one of our two mess tents. We have two, identical in terms of the frame and dimensions, except one is sectional, and the other one piece - 24' x 17'. This is the one that presents the problems, because it weighs a ton! It needs at least two leaders to carry it. We have obtained a trolley to transport it on, but looking at the wheels on it, I suspect it will be little easier than carrying the damned thing! [Not tried it yet!]

The sectional mess tent, incidentally, is no problem at all to move. Even the heaviest sections (the ends) can be carried by one adult.

astwood7

12-06-2011, 11:22 PM

The sectional mess tent, incidentally, is no problem at all to move. Even the heaviest sections (the ends) can be carried by one adult.

that depends on the size of the adult - as a vertically challenged adult - I get 2 scouts to do the work. :bigsmiley

Mallah

13-06-2011, 08:02 AM

for 99p and some scrap wood I'm gona give it a go if it breaks oh well if not whoopie lolYou can't go wrong with that approach :) Theories are all well and good, but often practice shoots all the theories out of the water.
Let us know how you get on - and some pictures :beer:

ASL-Alan

13-06-2011, 08:32 AM

I have found it takes 2-3 scouts especially the small scouts to move the icelandic tents. So if this works and it should only takes 1 scout plus there is the novelty of using it 'ohhhh a trolley, I wana go' so the moving of them wont be as much of a chore but it could end up in the skip, either way pics will be put up

This has given me inspiration (and not just the Carlsberg)

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z79/mikeholmes25/IMG_2440.jpg

Doug in Canada

13-06-2011, 03:43 PM

I'm with Mike, I think the weight of the tent will cause the cart to fail but it might last through a couple of uses! If you get them cheap enough and they do not require to much effort to modify perhaps you could think of them as disposable tent movers that are only going to last for a camp or two!

ASL-Alan

17-06-2011, 09:07 AM

well last night I picked up the cart £1 off ebay couldn't ask for the 1p change lol took it round the scout hall pulled out a full gas cylinder and loaded it up it fell off so added a little rope to tie it on and no probs in the hall see:-

since then I added some small boards to the base I cut from an old pallet I had lying around, the base folds up to help pack flat. It was then it was tested with a icelandic fully packed - tent, pegs, ground sheet and guys. This was then pulled round the hall by a small scout just up from cubs with no help needed. Now just need to see if it will work at camp now. Fingers crossed

Doug in Canada

17-06-2011, 01:19 PM

I think you'll find that the structural stress will be much greater when rolling over a bumpy field than on a flat hall floor! But at 1 each there's no harm in trying!

Mallah

17-06-2011, 02:02 PM

I know it's just for demo BUT a word of caution re carrying gas bottles - they must never be carried on their side !!! so tilting that one on the trolley could cause a problem.

roger-uk

17-06-2011, 03:24 PM

I know it's just for demo BUT a word of caution re carrying gas bottles - they must never be carried on their side !!! so tilting that one on the trolley could cause a problem.

We always use a sack truck to carry ours with, as far as I'm aware, no problems.

Gas cylinders on forklifts are horizontal??

Can you explain what the problem is?

cbKernow

17-06-2011, 03:29 PM

as i understand it, the theory is, if theres a leak around the valve, keeping it upright only allows gas to escape, if stored horizontally potentially the liquid can escape which can expand to a huge amount of gas when released.

I'd have thought this is common sense storage instructions though rather than real life transporting for short times, carrying it horizontally shouldn't pose any risk, carrying 15kg bottles is simpler when held at the top and the bottom.

If it was dangerous to transport bottles at anything other than absolute vertical, gas delivery vans wouldn't be allowed to go up hills!

Mallah

17-06-2011, 08:45 PM

We always use a sack truck to carry ours with, as far as I'm aware, no problems.

Gas cylinders on forklifts are horizontal??

Can you explain what the problem is?Something to do with the valve which is designed to work with gas rather than liquid. On its side the valve is covered in liquid and can leak quite easily. The valves on fork lifts are different to those on camping bottles. It was part of the rather lengthy NEBOSH course I did years ago, but as I don't work with fork lifts it never really stuck as to the precise reason. I guess Google would turn up the details somewhere.

aldamaster

17-06-2011, 09:10 PM

i think probably a difference between storing them horizontally and just carrying them across a field!

Ker-stee

17-06-2011, 09:27 PM

Tent carrier... isn't that what a Scout (or two) is for?

ASL-Alan

19-06-2011, 05:38 PM

well back from a very wet camp and I never got to see the trolley much as one of our new scouts ex-cub (so quite small) was hauling everything round the field he had a huge pile of staffs on it one min, a table the next, happily hauling a niger down the field. It will need a slight modification to carry water bottles as they kept sliding off but I am very happy with this so far. It held up very well whether we need 2 or more is another question but will be keeping an eye out on ebay for another one tho.

Gas bottles just got carried as it was too much hassle to tie them on but never saw a prob carrying them on their side its only a few mins, in fact they travel in my boot on their side as they wont stand upright

Doug in Canada

20-06-2011, 05:30 PM

Something to do with the valve which is designed to work with gas rather than liquid. On its side the valve is covered in liquid and can leak quite easily. The valves on fork lifts are different to those on camping bottles. It was part of the rather lengthy NEBOSH course I did years ago, but as I don't work with fork lifts it never really stuck as to the precise reason. I guess Google would turn up the details somewhere.

Don't think that is right! A valve that will hold the gas will have no trouble holding liquid at the same pressure. However, there is a safety consideration. Should hte valve have a small leak and the bottle is upright a relatively small amount of gas will leak out and(Hopefully) dissapate before causing any issues. However, if the bottle is on its side so that the valve is below liquid level then it will be the liquid that will leak out. The liquid, once out, will expand to hundreds of times its volume as it turns to a gas so your relatively small leak will result in the release of an increase in volume of several magnitudes as a gas and could easily form explosive gas clouds.

Probably not a big deal if you're carrying it around a field but something you might want to consider if you put in the boot of your car!

DKRSL

20-06-2011, 09:34 PM

I've got a Bikehod cycle trailer, which is a bit like a golf cart:

http://www.bikehod.com/Components/Images/bike-hod/bikehod.jpg

The payload is 40kg (http://www.bikehod.com/bike-hod/). An Icelandic is half that (http://www.blacksofgreenock.co.uk/acatalog/Icelandic_II.html) (plus another 10kg for poles). Maybe I'll take it to camp next time. Make a change from the tent I normally carry to Scout camp on my bike :bigsmiley
http://www.rossall.plus.com/Coleman.jpg